If the presidential candidates are looking for a way to woo American moms, they should consider taking on a paid maternity leave platform. American moms want more maternity leave and they think the government should pay for it.

“We are supposed to be one of the most developed countries in the world,” said Amy, “and yet we are SO far behind all of the others as far as maternity leaves go.”

Amy was one of hundreds of moms who answered our call for questions to raise at the Women’s Health Town Hall held last week at the White House. She wasn’t alone. Dozens of women echoed her yearning for a federally-funded paid maternity leave program.

“Make a universal maternity leave for everyone in the USA,” said another mom. “If you want a better country, allow mothers the opportunity to bond with their children and still be financially secure!”

“I had to quit my job when I had my baby because my job at the time did not offer maternity leave of any kind,” said Danny’s Momma

At the Town Hall, BabyCenter’s Editor-in-Chief, Linda Murray, had a chance to ask Michael Lu, the Director of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, what the government was doing about the issue of paid maternity leave (the current Family and Medical Leave Act allows women to take unpaid leave after the birth or adoption of a child). While he recognized what a challenge unpaid maternity leave is for many moms – especially in this difficult economy – he said that no one in the government was working on a federally-funded maternity leave program.

That’s when Linda hit him with the news that 66 percent of moms in a recent BabyCenter poll said they’d be willing to pay more taxes to fund maternity leave (from 1 to 5 percent more). He was shocked. Linda urged him to share this information with his colleagues and to voice moms’ concerns about maternity leave in general.

How do you feel about maternity leave in the U.S.? Would you pay higher taxes to offer this benefit to moms? Would either candidate get your vote if they got behind paid maternity leave?

161 Responses to Obama and Romney: How about paid maternity leave?

No way. Make the companies pay for the maternity leave. Unfair to ask tax payers to do it, and we simply don’t have the economy or money to do this. However, companies should be required to provide paid maternity leave. My family pays 100 grand just throughout the year in taxes (which equals the same amount as our take home at the end too), and then at the end of the year we still owe and have to write out a 20 grand check. It is ridiculous! The government can absolutely not have more money from me, they don’t spend it well to begin with! So for now, this should be a companies responsibility.

Kaylasays:

June 11, 2012 at 9:43 pm

Anything that would really benefit families, would be worth some extra taxes. When the family breaks down for whatever reason, it hurts our society and economy. I don’t know that it would change my political leanings, though, because politicians in general seem to be so full of promises they don’t intend to keep.

Marisasays:

June 11, 2012 at 10:24 pm

NO! I’m currently holding a job where I was almost just fired for taking medical leave for 3 weeks due to minor pregnancy complications, so it’s likely I will be let go when it’s time for me to take time off with my baby. However, I do not expect payment from the company, nor the government, to not be working. Also, I will be livid if I have to pay MORE taxes for other women to get paid while not working. I feel that the government robs us blind as it is, I’m not looking to hand over any more of my hard-earned cash to them for any reason. I’m saving money from each check I get to be able to support my family when maternity leave comes. Other women should consider the same.

Noelsays:

June 11, 2012 at 10:33 pm

I just want to work for a company that offers short-term disability insurance – I’ll even pay for it.

My current employer doesn’t offer short-term disability, so you have to either rely solely on accrued paid time off OR take FMLA unpaid. You’d have to save up approximately 500+ hours of paid time off (will vary depending on paid holidays) to make it through 12 work weeks of FMLA. I accrue PTO at a rate of 5.67 hours per pay period. At 24 pay periods per year, that equals 136.08 hours per year. So, if I never took a day off, took anytime off for doctor visits, dentist appointments (because they work evenings and weekends, right?), illness, vacation, what have you; it would take me over THREE AND A HALF YEARS to save up the leave needed to not take any unpaid time. Does that seem reasonable to you? Of course, the other part of my brain tells me at least I have PTO to save up!

But anyways, long story short, I definitely support some sort of legislation that would –at the very least– make it mandatory for companies to offer short-term disability coverage. I would like to see the U.S. join the majority of countries on this planet and demand better parental leave benefits from employers.

Jessicasays:

June 12, 2012 at 1:01 am

Absolutely! How is this not part of Obamacare? We are so behind in this country.

Marysays:

June 12, 2012 at 1:30 am

I’m in Canada, so maybe some of you don’t care to hear this but maternity leave here is 12 months long and the government provides mothers (or fathers) 55% of their previous salary. I’m on mat leave now with my 9-month old daughter and the government deposits $900 into my bank account every 2 weeks, like clockwork. Everyone who works pays a small amount out of their paycheck towards “employment insurance” so when mothers go on mat leave or if anyone loses their job, they receive income from the employment insurance they paid into. It’s not as though someone else is paying for your mat leave, rather you’re paying into your own. This system works!

mommamelsays:

June 12, 2012 at 4:34 am

Absolutely not!!! Paid maternity leave is so incredibly wrong on so many levels. I know that’s not a popular opinion, but honestly, who gets paid for MONTHS for doing absolutely nothing work-related at the full salaried rate?!?! It’s insane. And yes, I am a woman.

Sarahsays:

June 12, 2012 at 4:38 am

Just because other countries are doing things differently, doesn’t mean they’re doing them right. Our employment rate is already so low in this economy (and even lower for women and minorities). If we start requiring businesses to pay employees for three months when they’re not working, do you think the economy is going to get better? With my last pregnancy, there were three women pregnant at the same time on my team alone. My company was already having to lay off employees because they couldn’t afford the staff they had; if they’d had to pay all three of us while we didn’t work AND pay our temporary replacements, the lay off cuts would have been much worse and even more of my co-workers would be out of work today.

May Saubiersays:

June 12, 2012 at 5:04 am

The poll is a sampling of women who visit Babycenter and have therefore just had babies, will soon have babies or have had them in the not so distant past. Why didn’t all women answer that they would pay more in taxes for paid maternity leave? Because they know that cradle to the grave government programs come at a huge cost. We can either learn from what is happening in Europe or we can join them.

Mienkiesays:

June 12, 2012 at 5:09 am

I am South African. Every female worker is by law entitled to 4 months maternity leave. Most companies offer to pay the employee a percentange of her salary (from 35 – 100%) at no extra charge/tax to her. For women who work at companies who do not contribute we have the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) who will pay you between 38 – 58% of your salary for the 4 months that you are off. All South African workers pay a UIF tax of 1% of their salary. I had no idea other countries didnt offer a set amount of time off with some kind of compensation to mothers. Money is the last thing a mother should worry about when she has her baby.

Grace Firesays:

June 12, 2012 at 5:12 am

This is how we compare: Out of 178 countries worldwide, the United States is one of three that does not guarantee new mothers paid leave. The other two countries are Papua New Guinea and Swaziland. Nationwide, in March 2011, only 11% of the private sector workers and 17% of public sector workers reported having access to paid leave through their employer.

Here in Canada everyone who has a paying job pays into Employment Insurance. If you are laid off unexpectedly you can dip into this. This is also what is used to compensate women and men who take parental leave. You get 80% of you salary (some companies make up the remaining 20%). Women can take 1 year off paid. If you and your spouse are both working and you both want to take time off you can split the year between the two of you. If you are a stay at home mom and your husband wants to take some time off to help with the new baby he gets up to nine months paid leave. Your employer holds your position for you for the year you are off. Did you know that the US is one of the only 1st world countries to not offer paid maternity leave? I think it has a very positive effect on families as a whole. You don’t have to pour as much money in daycare, mothers (and fathers) are able to spend more time with their babies and it isn’t a financial drain on the family if one or both parents want to stay home after the birth.

Stephanie L.says:

June 12, 2012 at 5:53 am

My job didn’t offer maternity leave, I had to use all my accured sick and annual leave and then had to take unpaid FMLA. I was home for 3 months. The only perk was that I’m part of a HUGE union for City employees and got a small disablilty check for like $1100. Luckily, my husbnad has a good job, but I would pay higher taxes if it meant a working parent can spend more time home with their newborn.

ASsays:

June 12, 2012 at 5:56 am

It’s funny how people get all up-in-arms about this. We in this country do need to do more to help the family unit. I think some type of Federal insurance you pay into is a great idea and the most fair – this way ANYONE can use it, if there is a medical emergency, birth, etc. Think about it, people that loose their jobs due to illness or pregnancy and don’t have money end up receiving government support anyway, so having an insurance fund set up that everyone contributes to and better leave policies will actually help reduce that burden.

Terrisays:

June 12, 2012 at 6:01 am

What magic money pot will the government use to pay for this one?

Hollysays:

June 12, 2012 at 6:12 am

Having been back at work for 7 weeks after my too short maternity leave, I can say that I would absolutely, without a doubt pay higher taxes for a longer paid maternity leave. I had to use all of my paid vacation time from last year and this year for my maternity leave and was not happy about it. 6 weeks simply isn’t long enough!

The 12 week leave from FMLA doesn’t apply to companies with less than 50 employees, so a lot of us are screwed. The new policy would have to apply to every employed woman in the US regardless of company size. And the policy would need to ensure a minimum of 8 weeks paid job protection, 12 weeks would be ideal.

Kellysays:

June 12, 2012 at 6:19 am

Yeah, I have to say this is like asking people in poverty if they’re willing to pay more taxes to fund social welfare programs or people who live near a dump if they’re willing to pay more taxes to turn it into a nice park.

People are usually willing to pay a small portion of what will benefit them greatly. People are less likely to want to pay for something that doesn’t benefit them at all and benefits others.

It should probably be something like: Short term disability is required to be offered at all companies (which is should anyway because it’s a wonderful thing for everyone to have) and short term disability will cover 6 weeks of maternity leave. That way everyone gets 6 weeks to recover from birth and bond. I can’t imagine doing a year like some places. I’m betting that women would be complaining all over about the pay gap widening since they’d be off for several full years between work.

Hollysays:

June 12, 2012 at 6:20 am

@ mommamel – Paid maternity/paternity leave should be a perk of giving years of loyal service to a company. I have worked weekends (unpaid!) and worked late (unpaid!). I have sacrificed lunch breaks for doc appts, and worked from home when my kids are sick. I feel that employers should absolutely pay new parents for time to bond with their children. It’s a way to take care of your employees so they will come back and give 100% when they return from leave.

However, the question in this post is asking if you would pay higher taxes to fund maternity leave. This would mean that employers would not be paying for it, but that employees would essentially be paying into a savings account of sorts that would then be paid back to them during said leave.

You must be a boss, otherwise I think you would feel differently.

Amandasays:

June 12, 2012 at 6:26 am

Another option is a “maternity insurance policy.” That way people who won’t use it don’t have to pay for it and it won’t stress an already overburdened federal economy. The idea is similar to disability insurance – only those who opt into it receive the benefits, since they’re the only ones paying. I also think increasing the length of time from 12 wks to at least 6 mos would be incredibly beneficial to moms and babies – esp since the recommended minimum amount of time for breastfeeding is 6 mos.

Juliussays:

June 12, 2012 at 6:36 am

I like Amanda’s idea, and we had something similar to that for my leave. I opted for an enhanched disability plan that would provide me pay for the 6 weeks I was off for disability. The rest of the leave was unpaid.

The trick is that you have to enforce some kind of mechanism where women won’t just sign up for this coverage right before they get pregnant and drop it right after returning from leave.

I signed up for mine right away and got pregnant 4 years later. I still pay the enhanced disability premium partly because I want to be fair, partly because I am too lazy to arrange to stop and also because it offers me some insurance if I have some other kind of disability.

Juliussays:

June 12, 2012 at 6:40 am

Now after reviewing all the comments I have to give props to commenters 7,8, 12 and 14. Great points and perspective.

Eek565says:

June 12, 2012 at 7:35 am

People look to Europe as the leader for paid maternity leave, but they endure very high taxes AND an economic crisis. They are worse off than the US ecomonimically right now.

As Americans we need the freedom to make choices for what is best for our families. We don’t need to pay the government to do it for us!

My husband sacrificed his career and education to stay at home with our children. I only took 6 weeks of leave with our second child. I dearly long to be at home with my little ones. But I don’t want to do it at the cost of my country’s economic stability.

egssays:

June 12, 2012 at 7:38 am

I would love this, but I don’t think it’s responsible given the state of our economy. Around here education has taken a lot of hits. Kindergarten classroom sizes are 25-30. Teachers are losing jobs. Ancillary support is decreasing as the classroom sizes are increasing. All early childhood funding has been cut. Of course our taxes have already increased, so I’m paying more for less, so to speak. If we can’t afford what we currently have, how can it be expected that we pay additional for something new.

As someone who’s last maternity leave was 100% unpaid, I would cheer about something like this happening, but not in our current economic state. I was at least fortunate enough to pick-up some extra time during my middle trimester to offset a good chunk of the expense. Most people don’t have that option. I also knowingly wound-up behind on some of our bills, but was able to catch-up when I returned to work. Definitely not ideal, but it was what needed to be done at the time.

Melissasays:

June 12, 2012 at 7:45 am

I’m surprised by all the negaitve comments to paid maternity leave. I fully support it and would pay extra taxes as well. Working with women to find ways to keep them in the workforce while takig care of their families is a critical issue for economic growth. If half the available workforce is seen as dispenbile or a burden, then companies are missing out on valuable resources. Also, turnover is bad for companies. It is more cost effective to retain and grow existing employees, even if there are breaks, then to hire and train new employees.

Also, short-term disability is not a solution because women need to pay in to it to get the benefits and companies require you to buy the policy BEFORE you get prgenant. COnsidering that over half of pregnancies in the US are unplanned, this is not a fool-proof plan.

Esays:

June 12, 2012 at 7:55 am

This isnt something that the government or tax payers should be forced to pay for, there is already too much money going into government assistance programs as it is, we should be focusing on how to lower that. It’s also unfair to force a company to pay 100% (or even 60%) STD insurance to an employee who hasn’t been employed long enough to have earned it, let alone provide payments after the disability period is over. Small businesses would most likely not be able to afford it. If businesses (of any kind) aren’t making profits they go under. For big business, you add in things like paying 100% of someone’s earnings when they aren’t working and if it’s long term (more than the 12 week fmla period) hiring a temp (which could be at a rate higher than the employee since they have to pay a temp company plus that employee) to fill in times how many hundred or thousand people who are having kids and adding men into the mix, how is that good for the business? Where is this money supposed to come from?

I’m finished having babies, I didn’t get paid maternity leave and I didn’t complain about it. I knew when my kids were going to be born and I saved my vacation time and used it after my short term disability benefits were finished. I also earned the 100% of my wages for disability benefits when I had my second and third children, it wasn’t handed to me the second I got a job.

Why do people think so many things should just be handed over? What happened to earning things and being responsible for ourselves?

JAGsays:

June 12, 2012 at 8:00 am

I’ve read a lot of ppl mention the “state of our economy” as a reason for not supporting paid maternity leave. The truth of the matter is that paid maternity leave should have happened a long time ago, and should not even been an issue today. Families are being pulled apart piece by piece as both parents work full-time to provide financial support. Personally, I like the idea of Canada’s Employment Insurance. I don’t see why we couldn’t do something similar to that here. I don’t think it would be very different from the HSA medical insurance plans that are becoming increasingly popular due to higher premiums. New mothers and newborn infants should not penalized due to the “state of the economy”. Such a mentality is ridiculous and passive, in my opinion. Rather than looking at why we CAN’T do something, we should be looking at why we CAN. And, fwiw, a “bad economy” in the US still equates to a great economy relative to the economies of many other countries around the world.

Mama'sBoyssays:

June 12, 2012 at 8:08 am

We need to push the issues that are important…it’s up to us to make a difference. We shouldn’t just say, not right now…the economy is bad and already we’re paying too many taxes! There will never be a good time. Last week in the news the Paycheck Fairness Act bill was NOT passed!!! Fobes.com ~”It is clear the revisions to the bill were not all that drastic, but they were a step closer to closing the gender gap between males and females in the workplace…the truth still stands – women earn $0.77 for every dollar their male coworkers make.” “Women make up nearly half of the workforce, and they deserve equal pay for equal work to support themselves and their families.”

This is just ONE example of how important it is to to get our priorities straight. As long as humans are reproducing, we need our country to support it. It’s the first step to making our country great. Working mothers and fathers need to be making the appropriate salary and they also need to have the appropriate time off to raise their children. This needs to be a priority in the budget. Key word here is WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!

Danny's Mommasays:

June 12, 2012 at 8:47 am

Just wanted to put this out there: I have already had a child and did not get paid maternity leave. I cannot have anymore children, which means this will not be an issue for me, yet I still support paid maternity leave. So people shouldn’t say that people who support this are “just the ones who want to have babies and get paid for not working”.

Vickisays:

June 12, 2012 at 8:55 am

For those who have already had children and believe that paid maternity leave will only benefit others, you are thinking too short-term. Don’t you see how this will benefit your own children when they have babies of their own? Ask any mother in Canada about how they feel about their 12-month paid mat leave and I’m certain 100% would respond positively. The fact that American mothers are so divided with this issue is indicative that something is wrong. Economic crisis or no economic crisis, families need to come first.

As with comment 9, Canadians pay into an “employment insurance”, so when a mother/father goes on mat leave, or if someone loses their job, they can still receive some income. It’s not really a government hand-out. Low-income families may receive extra assistance from the government, however I personally don’t have a problem with this. If a fellow citizen needs assistance taking care of their children, I’m okay with that. I’d rather not see starving children on the streets.

Juliussays:

June 12, 2012 at 9:19 am

The 0.77 cents per dollar meme has been debunked numerous times. I am kind of sick of politicians playing women like violins. The whitehouse themselves put this out 0.77 per dollar thing out there recently while records show women don’t have equal pay there. So what are they really trying to accomplish with that.

Sounds to me like a gift to overpaid trial lawyers who get to spend a bunch of money filing lawsuits, and yet another way to make it difficult to hire women.

If it was really true that companies were only paying $0.77 on the dollar than I would expect companies to be filled with women employees.

Also, the women that do make more than their male counterparts are really going to enjoy taking a pay cut for the team.

Jaysays:

June 12, 2012 at 9:49 am

I’m lucky enough to work for an organization that provides paid maternity leave, but I support maternity leave for ALL expecting families and would happily pay higher taxes to make it happen.

Jensays:

June 12, 2012 at 9:52 am

My maternity leave was 100% unpaid so i would love to be able to have paid leave. I would be fine with a maternity insurance program or short term disability or the employers having to pay it or even having to pay more taxes just to get paid maternity leave. I wouldn’t even care if it was full pay as long at it was something to help.

JTsays:

June 12, 2012 at 10:04 am

AMEN! I would gladly pay higher taxes to have the rights afforded to women in other countries for paid maternity leave with job security!! And I’d be the first in line to vote for a candidate who WOULD make this happen (not just promise it as an “idea” and then shut it down before it gets past his/her desk).

cmsays:

June 12, 2012 at 11:28 am

Absolutely. I get a short-term disability program through my job and my husband works for a progressive company that offers substantial parental leave at full pay regardless of gender which means that we’re some of the lucky ones because we get a whopping 8 weeks of paid leave. The fact that that is considered “lucky” in this country is troubling in and of itself. But even though we both work for employers that recognize the importance of giving at least a little time off to new parents without also burdening them with financial strain, I would without a doubt be happy to pay a more in taxes so that ALL AMERICANS have an opportunity to be as lucky as we are.

Paying taxes is my responsibility as a citizen of this nation, and I do it happily. I’m even more happy when my taxes go to improving the quality of life for my fellow citizens instead of bombing someone halfway across the world or paying the salaries of old white men who sit around all day trying to come up with ways to make sure that minorities don’t get equal rights.

KaLeighsays:

June 12, 2012 at 11:46 am

Make it a requirement for EMPLOYERS, not TAX PAYERS. I don’t understand why employers aren’t required to provide at least SOME amount of paid time off for maternity leave. I also think that companies should offer up to 2 weeks paid maternity leave for new fathers too–they want to bond and new mama’s could sure use their help!!!

Wellsmomsays:

June 12, 2012 at 12:12 pm

Some thoughts…remember the “government” doesn’t pay for anything. We do (it’s called taxes, and the higher taxes we will pay in the future toward our national debt–and no, it won’t just be the “rich” who pay).

Also, the companies won’t pay, either. If firms are required to pay for this, it will result in a reduction in other benefits or wages (or smaller increases in wages). It will also possibly lead to fewer people being hired. It’s easy to look up online that, with the exception of our most recent and very severe recession, historically Canada’s unemployment rate is higher than in the U.S.

Bottom line is, if we want it, we have to pay. I am not in favor of the (what I consider to be) overly-generous plans in Canada and Europe, but personally I would be in favor of paying for something, perhaps a shorter term of benefits and only some fraction of full pay. I do struggle with myself about whether it should be something mandated, or whether firms should be free to offer compensation packages (pay and benefits) that they feel will attract and retain the workers they want.

I did not have maternity leave at my place of employment, but I had worked there so long that I was able to take 6 months off with my first and four months with my second, using my own accrued personal vacation and sick leave. I was grateful for that option, and I had earned it; no one paid it for me. I am also in a professional field where I arranged to finish up projects before the kids were born, and was able to put off new ones until I returned (I also teach college courses, but that is not my main job). I chose my career partially because I knew it would lend itself to this sort of flexibility when I had kids.

Lastly, the 0.77 gap. It exists, but people don’t understand what it is actually measuring, and the actual reasons it exists. The 0.77 figure is actually comparing average female earnings to average male earnings. Truth is, most of the gap can be explained by data. It is fact that most of the pay gap is because women, on the whole, are simply not in the workforce as many years as men, and there are far more women than men who work less than full-time during their working years. This is true even when you compare women and men in the the same occupations.

Also, many women make a conscious decision to forgo additional education and job training, and make a conscious decision to avoid high stress/long hours types of jobs (which also tend to pay more). Why do many women (not all) make these choices? Because they want to be mothers. Most of the wage gap is actually an experience gap, and it is mostly due to motherhood and child-rearing.

The fact is, a large number of women in our society are happy to sacrifice some aspect of their career to be a mom. That sacrifice will lead to lower lifetime earnings than men, ON AVERAGE, hence the wage/experience gap. Now I am not saying that gender discrimination does not exist at all, but most of the gap can be explained by publicly available data and the choices that women themselves make.

Might the gap begin to narrow more in coming years, not because of any specific policy action, but because younger women are entering the workforce with more education than previous generations and also intend to stay in it longer? Very likely.

Wellsmomsays:

June 12, 2012 at 12:13 pm

ugh, sorry my comment above is so long!!

lgsays:

June 12, 2012 at 12:19 pm

I absolutely support a federally mandated requirement to protect a solid block of paid time off for maternity leave, with cost shared by gov’t and private sector employers. It should be three months, at full time pay, not for use of vacation days/sick days, because you need them when you come back to work! Hiding our heads in the sand and not creating a system is not going to make things better. I don’t think Europe’s economic problems are due to its maternity leave, either… How do we have so many people not supporting families who profess to be “pro child, pro family”? It’s absurd that we’re one of only four countries with no policy at all, and we’re the only developed country without one.

JetCityFogsays:

June 12, 2012 at 1:17 pm

I’m getting paid maternity leave through my company, but I believe every new mom should be as ‘lucky’ as me (what makes me so special?) and the only answer I see that is fair for everyone is govt provided leave.

I don’t view it as ‘paying people not to work’ I view it as an investment in a future generation. (but I’m also for single payer health insurance and funding education)

I’m part of the 50% of Americans that actually pay income taxes too (I paid over 20k last year and would gladly pay more for a better country). My point is that govt provided maternity leave wouldn’t benefit me personally, but I’m still for it.

I’m appalled that more employers in the US don’t offer paid maternity leave. It was like pulling teeth to find out if my employer would offer me anything. He wouldn’t. He even tried encouraging me to not take the full 3 months I was legally allowed because he needed me at the office.
So, before I got pregnant, my husband and I spent a year saving up so that I could take a full 3 months of unpaid leave with our new baby and we still fell short and had to dip into our emergency fund. While we financially struggled to make that possible, those 3 months were such a special time for me to spend with our daughter. I’m grateful that we were able to make that work.
So, with that being said, I would absolutely pay higher taxes if it meant getting paid maternity leave. And I would proudly do so knowing that my taxes would benefit other mothers in the future. That time is so important for new mothers and fathers to spend bonding and growing accustomed to all of the changes that come with a new child. All new parents should have the right to take the time, and focus on their family 100%. Financial woes and worries don’t need to cloud such a momentous occasion.

Daniellesays:

June 12, 2012 at 2:50 pm

I support paid maternity leave 100% and would pay for it with higher taxes. There are alternative ways to pay for it, such as by making it an insurance program, and I support looking into all of the options.

There would be some great benefits to helping ensure that infants get off to the right start, by having their mothers home with them for longer. Breastfeeding rates would go up, illnesses would go down, less absenteeism, better family bonding time, etc. The improved health outcomes would probably lead to economic outcomes that outweigh the costs of the program.

This is one of the reasons why I hate living in this country. I used to live in france, and moving back to the US was a mistake, honestly. I’m a sahm, and my husband works, but if it was the other way around, I would pack us up and leave

Carriesays:

June 12, 2012 at 3:39 pm

Would’ve loved paid maternity leave. I work as a teacher assistant and my husband is a writer for the local paper. We don’t make much at all & couldn’t afford more than 6 weeks (I used 7 days of personal/sick leave). The only reason I was able to stay home for 9 weeks was that Christmas and Thanksgiving fell during my maternity leave.

It’s really sad the US is so far behind developing nations on this!

Iva's momsays:

June 12, 2012 at 3:40 pm

I generally don’t post comments but for this one, I am soo with you. I am a graduate student and there is no provision in my university for maternity leave. I went to school right after my delivery. I was able to work from home but my work was so demanding that it was so stressful to manage a newborn and work. In India, despite being behind in terms of economy, the maternity leave policies are excellent and the same goes with many European countries like France and UK.. I’m sorry, but this one thing.. I really don’t like about the US. One will never understand a mother’s perspective until one becomes a mother period. Increase my tax, but give me maternity leave which I believe I rightfully deserve..

Annasays:

June 12, 2012 at 3:41 pm

There is no way in heck I would want to pay more taxes for paid maternity leave! The government already takes enough from our paychecks, If you decide to have a baby how does that make it the rest of the taxpayers responsibility? Not to mention that our economy could not handle any tax increases! and yes I am a mother! I love how people think more government programs will “fix” our country when in reality it is what is killing it!

Jennifersays:

June 12, 2012 at 3:42 pm

Wow! The states should look into a similar plan as Canada. After reading some posts I was shocked you could be let go because your pregnant, here you cannot be fired when your pregnant without proof of neglecting your job duties. We also have paid maternity leave of a certain % of our income so not fully what you would make if you were working but enough to live for the 6 months to a year depending what you want to take.

Kaysays:

June 12, 2012 at 3:45 pm

I personally would pay extra for having maternity leave. Where I live I have been at the same company for almos five years and its so hard to get full time there. They have called the part timers by me are worthless and that is why we dont even get full time when it is available. I think that it is unfair for people like me who want a family but cant afford having time off with there babies but we work 40+ hours a week for a company that calls us worthless.

Maternity leave in the U.S. is not ideal. I heard New York’s maternity leave is 1 month… horrible, compared to California of 3 months. Then, compare the U.S. (in general) to the rest of the developed countries in the world, I was in shock to learn that our own neighbors in Canada was so generous and some Europeans even more with three years leave!

There are so many benefits to a longer maternity leave. I’m not asking for three years, but it needs to be longer if we want to instill values in our children and all the other benefits that comes with a mother nurturing her own children in the early years of a child’s life.

Christinasays:

June 12, 2012 at 3:46 pm

I already have paid maternity leave, and I live in the U.S. …Its called a savings account. Of course my pregnancy (due in October) was a planned one and I also work with money on a daily basis, so maybe its just how I am wired, but I think that kids are the responsibility of their parents and entering into parenthood should not be looked at as a way of being able to go on a vacation of sorts. I am definitely not for any new taxes or for allowing this to be another thing that businesses are required to pay for…call me crazy but I think people should grow up and take care of themselves IMO.

Krissays:

June 12, 2012 at 3:47 pm

There should absolutely be paid maternity leave in this country. For those of you who have commented on the unemployment rate, I work for a staffing agency that staffs for temp, temp to hire and permanent jobs. These are very good opportunities that offer decent wages and benefits. I witness on a daily basis an incredible amount of people who just don’t want to work. There are many jobs out there but the government is telling people there are no jobs so they are using it as an excuse to not work. I don’t think it’s too much to ask to give paid maternity leave to mothers who are holding full time jobs instead of paying an insane amount of unemployment to people who just don’t want to work.

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